“Call Daniil Medvedev,” Karen Khachanov on his advice for Stefanos Tsitsipas to beat Novak Djokovic in the 2023 Australian Open final

Karen Khachanov's dream run at the Australian Open as he was ousted by Greek ace Stefanos Tsitsipas

“Call Daniil Medvedev,” Karen Khachanov on his advice for Stefanos Tsitsipas to beat Novak Djokovic in the 2023 Australian Open final

Karen Khachanov, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Novak Djokovic (Image source: Instagram)

World no.20 Karen Khachanov has been on fire since the 2022 US Open championships in New York. His on-court exploits were on full display throughout his run at the Australian Open. For the first time in his career, the Russian ace reached the last-four stage with consecutive slams.

He looked poised to go a step further and reach his first Slam final, as he took the court against three-time semi-finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas. But destiny had other plans. As the Greek ace dominated Khachanov, finishing the match in four sets. With a scoreline of 6-7, 4-6, 7-6, and 3-6, the Russian saw his dream get destroyed.

However, it was during the post-match press conference, that Khachanov kept his calm. “I don’t think anybody from the Next Generation has beaten him in a slam,” said Khachanov, when asked whether he had any tips for Tsitsipas. But it was his words following this statement, which sent Twitter buzzing. The semi-finalist added, “Except Daniil at the US Open final. So maybe Stef needs to call Daniil to ask him how he did that “.

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His words sent Twitter into a frenzy, as people flocked online in order to express their thoughts on the same.

While some pinned it on the young guns’ inability to beat the Serb, others stated that Medvedev beat an exhausted and overwhelmed Djokovic.

https://twitter.com/tomhumphreys88/status/1618899726568685570

Mentioning his fellow countryman, Khachanov joked about the likelihood of Tsitsipas giving Medvedev a call. It was in the 2021 US Open final when Daniil Medvedev was at his dominant best and defeated Novak Djokovic in straight sets. Medvedev lost in round 3 to American ace Sebastian Korda.

Related – Stefanos Tsitsipas clinches a thriller against Karen Khachanov to reach maiden Australian Open final

Stefanos Tsitsipas reaches maiden Australian Open final, eyes first Slam title

The fourth time proved to be the charm for Greek superstar Stefanos Tsitsipas. He lost the third set tie-break but recovered incredibly quickly. He broke early in the fourth set and comfortably served out the match. In doing so, he reached his first Australian Open final. Having lost on three occasions prior to this, Tsitsipas looked in firm control of the match for the first two sets.

But it was a resurgent Karen Khachanov who saved match points and played a flawless tiebreak to push the match into a fourth set. Despite this, Stefanos was not to be denied, as he kept his dream of both winning the Australian Open and becoming the world No. 1 intact. Having had subpar Slam campaigns at the last three events, Tsitsipas left no stone unturned in establishing his superiority.

He has run riot since his first match, disposing of his opponents in straight sets. He experienced his first test in Jannik Sinner, defeated him, and hasn’t looked back since. A potential rematch of the 2021 Roland Garros final is on the cards, with Novak Djokovic looking dominant as ever. Either way, Tsitsipas would be looking forward to setting the record straight and taking the pole position in the ATP rankings.

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